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Thread: Best WWII Bolt Action Rifles & Their Comparison

  1. #1

    Default Best WWII Bolt Action Rifles & Their Comparison

    Shameless promotion of mr Hickok45 here, but I went back to good ole fashioned shooting and what I got?

    So classify from top to bottom (no poll, just do it manually). Also, no Garands, STG-44 or semi-autos, given these were pretty limited in use compared to bolt action rifles (except for Garand of course):

    1 - SMLE MkI and III (Britain)
    2 - Kar98k (Germany)
    3 - Mosin 91/30 (SU)
    4 - Arisaka (IJA)
    5 - Type 38 (IJA)
    6 - Springfield '03 (US) - I'm going to place this on bottom less because of bad opinion and more because it was phased out by the Garand very soon. But still better than:
    7 - Lebel (FRA)
    8 - Carcano (Fascist Italy) - this one is the real ugly duckling of all 'em.

    Reasons?

    I think SMLE kinda tops it. Best magazine, w/10 rounds, excellent smooth bolt, very right rate of fire esp. in well trained hands.

    Mosin and Kar98k EVEN, Kar98k had better parts, but Mosin was also great, not that smooth as Kar, but very easy to maintain and rough.

    Finally the japanese rifles, although the Arisaka came w/ a really useless monopod. Altogether average, trigger way too hard, useless dust covers, but on par with the others on the rest esp. with trained users.

    Finally, the Lebel and the Carcano, I'm not really that fond of the Lebel, but I can't think of a crappier rifle than the Carcano, sorry.

    Kar98k
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2HwrEDjSf8

    SMLE

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM42kwC4o_s&t=501s

    Arisaka Type 44
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTzwMyq5eCw

    But altogether, top service rifles are undoubtedly the StG '44 and the Garand, of course, followed closely by the SMLE.
    Last edited by Marie Louise von Preussen; December 02, 2016 at 03:06 PM.
    "Romans not only easily conquered those who fought by cutting, but mocked them too. For the cut, even delivered with force, frequently does not kill, when the vital parts are protected by equipment and bone. On the contrary, a point brought to bear is fatal at two inches; for it is necessary that whatever vital parts it penetrates, it is immersed. Next, when a cut is delivered, the right arm and flank are exposed. However, the point is delivered with the cover of the body and wounds the enemy before he sees it."

    - Flavius Vegetius Renatus (in Epitoma Rei Militari, ca. 390)

  2. #2
    hellheaven1987's Avatar Comes Domesticorum
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    Default Re: Best WWII Bolt Action Rifles & Their Comparison

    MAS-36.

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  3. #3

    Default Re: Best WWII Bolt Action Rifles & Their Comparison

    I actually own 3 of those listed (K98, Mosin and type 99) and i would say the type 99 is in the same category as the other two. its a sturdy, well built bolt action rifle. But mine is also one of the earlier models back when they had only started trimming a few features (still has chromed barrel, flip sight, Sun palm safety etc.) so my judgment is based on that, the later, stripped down 99's could well be a different experience.

    Please rep me for my posts, not for the fact that i have a Pony as an Avatar.


  4. #4

    Default Re: Best WWII Bolt Action Rifles & Their Comparison

    Yeah, appy pologies, but I even forgot the name of the damn thing. But the French were still using the Lebel in great numbers by 1939-1940, right? I almost never care about them lol.

    But mine is also one of the earlier models back when they had only started trimming a few features (still has chromed barrel, flip sight, Sun palm safety etc.) so my judgment is based on that, the later, stripped down 99's could well be a different experience.
    I understand. Actually, the biggest difference between the Lee Enfield and the rest seems to be the extra ammo + bolt smoothness, which actually meant faster cycling and not having to move your head out of aim. That's what actually made it better, but then English and German rifles tended to be top notch anyway.
    "Romans not only easily conquered those who fought by cutting, but mocked them too. For the cut, even delivered with force, frequently does not kill, when the vital parts are protected by equipment and bone. On the contrary, a point brought to bear is fatal at two inches; for it is necessary that whatever vital parts it penetrates, it is immersed. Next, when a cut is delivered, the right arm and flank are exposed. However, the point is delivered with the cover of the body and wounds the enemy before he sees it."

    - Flavius Vegetius Renatus (in Epitoma Rei Militari, ca. 390)

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